Fred wrote:I might invest your money but I wouldn't put a plugged nickel of my money into an NHL franchise, do you remember when the Canucks were drawing 7500 a game

Fred, I read your point of view in the strike thread and all I can say is you should work for the taxman if you believe that owning a NHL franchise is a losing proposition. Thats the same bullshit the rich man sells every year, I cant pay my taxes, I lost money.rich man always makes money even when he is losing money he is still making money

Yeah that's probably what the last owner of the Sabres was saying as they dragged him off to court,or, Nashville Predators majority owner William "Boots" Del Baggio is heading to the big house for 8 years. There's been a range of NHL owners ended up where you can only visit once a week. But NHL is too a small cross section (30 teams ) of business to judge. Lots of business men end up doing time for avoiding taxes and fraud what ever. It's not without danger and then there's bankruptcy heck they keep count of that as a financial indicator there's that many. If they're avoiding taxes and they're caught I hope they do go to jail just like any other offender. As Warren Buffet said it's wrong when he pays less tax ( percentage wise ) than his secretary ....but he did even the score a year ago when he gave $37 million to charity or Bill Gates gave $33 million away. They're not all bad and without investment lets face it most of us would be out of work. Most of us have pensions which cling to the back of the business world including the Unions. I'm thinking the NHLPA has a lot of it's fund invested in the business world

I'll feel bad when the teams start laying off their staff and ushers ( many retired from regular work ) etc don't get work they need to keep them going, but the players, owners as I've said before a pox on both their houses

As to rising franchise values I was once told an important message. Some thing, any thing, is only worth what it bring when you actually complete the sale. It serves no purpose to look at some calculator button pushers opinion of a value. If that were so Phx would have been snatched up, the current perspective owner can't get any one to come up with $20 million.... $20 million, and as I said before the Ontario teachers pension fund is doing THAT WELL it wants to sell it's holdings ..... I can only assume because they can do better else where. Fortune Magazine may predict a value but that's all it is a prediction

Fred wrote:I might invest your money but I wouldn't put a plugged nickel of my money into an NHL franchise, do you remember when the Canucks were drawing 7500 a game

Fred, I read your point of view in the strike thread and all I can say is you should work for the taxman if you believe that owning a NHL franchise is a losing proposition. Thats the same bullshit the rich man sells every year, I cant pay my taxes, I lost money.rich man always makes money even when he is losing money he is still making money

Yeah that's probably what the last owner of the Sabres was saying as they dragged him off to court,or, Nashville Predators majority owner William "Boots" Del Baggio is heading to the big house for 8 years. There's been a range of NHL owners ended up where you can only visit once a week. But NHL is too a small cross section (30 teams ) of business to judge. Lots of business men end up doing time for avoiding taxes and fraud what ever. It's not without danger and then there's bankruptcy heck they keep count of that as a financial indicator there's that many. If they're avoiding taxes and they're caught I hope they do go to jail just like any other offender. As Warren Buffet said it's wrong when he pays less tax ( percentage wise ) than his secretary ....but he did even the score a year ago when he gave $37 million to charity or Bill Gates gave $33 million away. They're not all bad and without investment lets face it most of us would be out of work. Most of us have pensions which cling to the back of the business world including the Unions. I'm thinking the NHLPA has a lot of it's fund invested in the business world

I'm not saying that rich men cheat, cook books and avoid taxes, stupid rich men do that, there are plenty of legitimate ways to keep making money while looking like they are losing money. Ask the Bruins who whine about losing money because they dont make any money other than the ticket sales. they dont tell you that the company that owns the building, the company that owns the parking lots, the company that leases the stall to the vendors, the company that owns the rink board advertising and the rights to the clock hanging at centre ice, the company that owns the intellectual rights to the logo you see on every fucking sears catalog since you were kid, make lots of coin collectively. these are guys that hire armies of lawyers to spread the liability around so completely that it would and probably does take the government decades to catch on every loophole.

lets face it it takes a degree in economics and law to figure half the shit out the owners have going on, you think the salary cap is confusing...oh and i didnt count the royalties every time you buy your sports action ticket or the tv rights or the advertising that comes with that.

The point is i dont believe one fucking word out of buttmans mouth about cost certainty or whatever bullshit will dribble out of that little turds mouth. bottom line i dont pay 300 dollars to go an sit and watch a bunch fat fuckers smoking cigars and whining about being rich i go to see the players put there lives on the line displaying skills that take a lifetime to acquire and at the end of the day

Funny when you think about it. The last CBA was intended by the battery of lawyers and accountants to instill cost certainty and a group of simple GM's to take it apart and find ways around the very spirit of the agreement

If I remember rightly the owners opened the books to the PA in the last go around. Plus of course the players are up to the very same things themselves.

The fan, the source of the river flowing cash into their pockets is the only ones not represented

ukcanuck wrote:I'm not saying that rich men cheat, cook books and avoid taxes, stupid rich men do that, there are plenty of legitimate ways to keep making money while looking like they are losing money. Ask the Bruins who whine about losing money because they dont make any money other than the ticket sales. they dont tell you that the company that owns the building, the company that owns the parking lots, the company that leases the stall to the vendors, the company that owns the rink board advertising and the rights to the clock hanging at centre ice, the company that owns the intellectual rights to the logo you see on every fucking sears catalog since you were kid, make lots of coin collectively. these are guys that hire armies of lawyers to spread the liability around so completely that it would and probably does take the government decades to catch on every loophole.

lets face it it takes a degree in economics and law to figure half the shit out the owners have going on, you think the salary cap is confusing...oh and i didnt count the royalties every time you buy your sports action ticket or the tv rights or the advertising that comes with that.

The point is i dont believe one fucking word out of buttmans mouth about cost certainty or whatever bullshit will dribble out of that little turds mouth. bottom line i dont pay 300 dollars to go an sit and watch a bunch fat fuckers smoking cigars and whining about being rich i go to see the players put there lives on the line displaying skills that take a lifetime to acquire and at the end of the day

ukcanuck wrote:I'm not saying that rich men cheat, cook books and avoid taxes, stupid rich men do that, there are plenty of legitimate ways to keep making money while looking like they are losing money. Ask the Bruins who whine about losing money because they dont make any money other than the ticket sales. they dont tell you that the company that owns the building, the company that owns the parking lots, the company that leases the stall to the vendors, the company that owns the rink board advertising and the rights to the clock hanging at centre ice, the company that owns the intellectual rights to the logo you see on every fucking sears catalog since you were kid, make lots of coin collectively. these are guys that hire armies of lawyers to spread the liability around so completely that it would and probably does take the government decades to catch on every loophole.

lets face it it takes a degree in economics and law to figure half the shit out the owners have going on, you think the salary cap is confusing...oh and i didnt count the royalties every time you buy your sports action ticket or the tv rights or the advertising that comes with that.

The point is i dont believe one fucking word out of buttmans mouth about cost certainty or whatever bullshit will dribble out of that little turds mouth. bottom line i dont pay 300 dollars to go an sit and watch a bunch fat fuckers smoking cigars and whining about being rich i go to see the players put there lives on the line displaying skills that take a lifetime to acquire and at the end of the day, If the owners actually go through with another lock out, they can go fuck themselves as far as getting another nickel out of me, oh i'll watch on tv as i am already paying for it, but no hats, tshirts, jerseys or anything else that gives em a dime

Vancouver, B.C. - Vancouver Canucks President & General Manager Mike Gillis announced today that the Canucks have signed centre Brendan Gaunce. In keeping with club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Gaunce recorded 68 points (28-40-68) and added 68 penalty minutes in 68 games with the Belleville Bulls of the OHL in 2011.12. The 6’2”, 205 lbs. centre led the Bulls in goals, assists and points in 2011.12.

The Markham, ON, native represented Team Canada at the 2011 U18 World Junior Championship where he collected four points (1-3-4) in seven games, helping Canada win the bronze medal.

Gaunce was selected in the first round, 26th overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

Vancouver, B.C. - Vancouver Canucks President & General Manager Mike Gillis announced today that the Canucks have signed centre Brendan Gaunce. In keeping with club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Gaunce recorded 68 points (28-40-68) and added 68 penalty minutes in 68 games with the Belleville Bulls of the OHL in 2011.12. The 6’2”, 205 lbs. centre led the Bulls in goals, assists and points in 2011.12.

The Markham, ON, native represented Team Canada at the 2011 U18 World Junior Championship where he collected four points (1-3-4) in seven games, helping Canada win the bronze medal.

Gaunce was selected in the first round, 26th overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

If the video has already been posted, my apologies (great tune by Phoenix, BTW)

IMO Good wrist shot, bigger than most of the other players, goes to dirty area and drives to the net. Not afraid to drop the gloves and it seemed like he could keep up speed wise. When he fills out he's going to be a load with nice play making skills

Dan Rosen for NHL.com asked himself five questions to avoid generating any actual content prior to the impending lockout.

Since it’s Friday, I really have nothing better to do than respond to them. “There are some questions that the Canucks will have to answer over the course of the season if they want to stay atop the NHL and remain a legitimate Stanley Cup contender,” Rosen deduces. “Here are five worth pondering right now.”

1. WHEN WILL RYAN KESLER MAKE HIS SEASON DEBUT?

It’s a good question, and one many Vancouverites would love to known the answer to, but the reality is we don’t know. Luckily, before even trying to answer this question, Rosen asks a better question:

Perhaps the better question is will Kesler ever be the same player he was two seasons ago, when he scored 41 goals and won the Selke Trophy?

So You’re An Expert has an excellent post on Ryan Kesler from this week, and many fans and media fall into the trap of percentages, reputation, role and expectations. The real answer is that a lot of things went right for Kesler in 2011, and, no, he isn’t actually a 41-goal scorer.

2. HOW WILL B.C. NATIVE JASON GARRISON FARE AFTER SIGNING A BIG CONTRACT?

Richer? I don’t know, Rosen asserts that Garrison cashed in on “a” big season, rather than “two” big seasons, which are the only two full seasons Garrison has spent in the NHL. He won’t score as much, which will lead people like Dan Rosen to question the signing.

3. IS CHRIS TANEV READY FOR A FULL-TIME ROLE?

Yes. But that’s not even a question. That’s like asking if peanut butter is ready to be spread with jam.

4. CAN DAVID BOOTH PRODUCE LIKE A TOP-SIX FORWARD?

Mathematically, there can be 180 top-six forwards in the NHL. David Booth was 148th in goal-scoring last season, but he only played 62 games thanks to an injury. He was 119th in goals per game, but he didn’t see much powerplay time. He was 111th among all players in goal-scoring per even strength minute. Filter out the players who don’t play much, he’s 81st.

Maybe the question should be “does Dan Rosen known was a top-six forward produces like”?

If Booth plays a full season, scores 20-plus goals and produces 50-plus points, the Canucks would be happy.

A lot of people don’t understand how few players score 50 points. Only 100 forwards do, which means that 50 points is closer to being “top-three” production rather than “top-six” production. If David Booth cracks the top 120 in the league in scoring, he’s a good top-six forward, period.

They need to see some consistency out of a player who is signed for three more seasons with a cap hit of $4.25 million.

Never forget: A 10-goal scorer is more consistent than a 30-goal scorer.

5. WILL ZACK KASSIAN DEVELOP INTO THE RUGGED WINGER THE CANUCKS NEED?

Finally, we have asked an interesting question.

Vancouver traded for Kassian hoping he would become the bruiser it was missing in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final. If he turns into Milan Lucic, well let’s just say the Canucks wouldn’t complain.

Why can’t Kassian just be his own player? People want to set ridiculous goal-posts. If Nail Yakupov turns into Marian Gaborik, the Edmonton Oilers will be happy, but since he’s the best scoring winger in the league, that’s a silly thing to expect.

I think the Oilers would be happy if Yakupov became Matt Moulson. Similarly, I think the Canucks would be happy if Kassian became anybody better than Steve Bernier.

I have to say that's a low bar/expectation for Kassian but I agree Garrison is not a lock to be the next Erhoff. Put's Booth in perspective

Lotta rumours out in Abby that Aquaman is looking to buy the arena the Abbotsford Heat play in... and move the Wolves to Abby! Here's hoping. Having the Flame farm team in Flame-hating country has of course been an unmitigated disaster.

Strangelove wrote:Lotta rumours out in Abby that Aquaman is looking to buy the arena the Abbotsford Heat play in... and move the Wolves to Abby! Here's hoping. Having the Flame farm team in Flame-hating country has of course been an unmitigated disaster.

Thats right, who didn't see that coming? I remember when they announced that the flames were moving their farm team to Abbotsford ,thinking Wow, that crop they`re growing in Abby must really be halucinagenic